SolidSmack.com – RESOURCES

SolidSmack Radio | Jah Morning Sun

21 May, 2013 by Simon Martin in RESOURCES

This week’s Spotify-powered SolidSmack Radio Playlist brings an entirely new face-smack of great music to help propel you through those laborious, tedious design tasks for the next few days. This week we’ll be laying down the island vibes with some reggae tunes that will ensure positive vibes all day, mon. Turn up the bass and kick back a little further in your chair as we fire it up with the Expanders and move through a reggae odyssey including Eek-a-Mouse, Yami Bolo, Rebelution, and the wise words of Jahmings Maccow. All fruits ripe, mon!

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The Ten Commandments of Kickstarter

15 May, 2013 by Simon Martin in DESIGN, FAB, RESOURCES

When Kickstarter first launched, it was a hotbed for garage hobbyists, indie game developers, and the occasional ‘pro’ who wanted to test the crowdfunding market. More recently, the platform has made its way to more commercial projects that while having been successful, are arguably exploiting an indie-based platform and have led some into a pit of crowdfunding doom. Kickstarter isn’t just a crowdfunding platform…it is a goldmine for free press and exposure, something that both Makers and Hollywood studios would love to get their hands on while promoting project campaigns. However, the openness of this business model is a double-edged sword: while it may allow a creator full creative control for a new project, it is still open to potential claims of fraud, misappropriation, conversion, and embezzlement. Where should you draw the line with Kickstarter ethics and avoid getting yourself into a hotbed of crowdfunded trouble?
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SolidSmack Radio | Tales from the Indie Machine

14 May, 2013 by Simon Martin in RESOURCES

This week’s Spotify-powered SolidSmack Radio Playlist brings an entirely new face-smack of great music to help propel you through those laborious, tedious design tasks for the next few days. This week we’ll be taking a dive into the Indie Pool to cool off from our funky Magical Acid Funk Temple Playlist from last week. We’ll start with some Black Keys and move on through some Phoenix, Dirty Projectors, STRFKR, among others, and wrap it up with an old Dandy Warhols favorite. Strap on your Vans and cutoff jeans shorts….it’s about to get real indie real fast.

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SolidSmack Radio | The Magical Acid Funk Temple

08 May, 2013 by Simon Martin in RESOURCES

This week’s Spotify-powered SolidSmack Radio Playlist brings an entirely new face-smack of great music to help propel you through those laborious, tedious design tasks for the next few days. This week we’ll be kickin’ up the funk a notch with a mixture of blues, jazz, and funk-inspired vibrations. We’ll start with a little Bibi Tanga and work our way through some Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, and Ozomatli before wrapping up the funkadelic journey with Galactic. Prepare to enter Funk Speed.

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EngineerVsDesigner: E66 – Steve Kamb of NerdFitness.com

19 Apr, 2013 by Simon Martin in INTERVIEWS, RESOURCES

This week we have the great pleasure to speak with the founder of the ever-popular NerdFitness.com, Mr. Steve Kamb! Steve has developed a loyal following of hundreds of thousands of readers through his unique fitness site aimed at Nerds from all walks of life. We’ll talk with Steve about everything from why he preaches the Paleo diet, to gamifying your life, to how to stay active at your desk while hammering through those CAD models. Rock!

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SolidSmack Radio | Krill Slippin’ Playlist

16 Apr, 2013 by Simon Martin in RESOURCES

This week’s Spotify-powered SolidSmack Radio Playlist brings an entirely new face-smack of great music to help propel you through those laborious, tedious design tasks for the next few days. This week brings us a whole new slew of upbeat face-melting ear juice from the likes of Munnibrotherz, Tame Impala, and Menomena to Surfer Blood, Grieves, and Sigur Ros.

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Community-Centered 3D Printing Services Expand with 3D Hubs

09 Apr, 2013 by Simon Martin in FAB, RESOURCES

For those who aren’t cranking out 3D prints in full-rotation 24/7, there is another money-making opportunity on the block on par with MakeXYZ. As previously reported by SolidSmack, MakeXYZ is a sort of ‘AirBnB‘ concept for your 3D printer. Similar to the concept of renting out a spare room in your house to travelers that is otherwise unused, MakeXYZ and the recently announced 3D Hubs aim to connect those looking for 3D prints in their neighborhood with vacant 3D printers…effectively growing the 3D printing community with face-to-face meetups and inspiring new friendships.

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SolidSmack Radio | Midnight Cowboy Playlist

09 Apr, 2013 by Simon Martin in RESOURCES

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Confirmed: The World’s Largest 3D Printing Store Opening April 30th in London.

08 Apr, 2013 by Simon Martin in FAB, RESOURCES

Aiming at becoming the flagship store for the UK Makers Community, the iMakr store is getting ready for their highly-anticipated grand opening later this month. As previously reported by SolidSmack, the store will stock all things Maker on two stories of retail space. However most importantly, will it be an early example of the ‘office supply store’ of the future as 2D printers and paper become increasingly obsolete and personal manufacturing takes over?

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Copic Markers Releasing Color Chips for Accurate Color Throughout Entire Design Process

05 Apr, 2013 by Simon Martin in FAB, RESOURCES

Between incorporating their color library into Autodesk’s Sketchbook Pro and providing drool-worthy retail displays, Copic is stepping up their marker game even further with the upcoming release of 288 color chips. Featuring matte or gloss on curved and flat surfaces, the new chips will be highly-beneficial for better envisioning your product before you even put the ink to the paper.

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Category: RESOURCES